Chapter 2: Contents of the Gétä Summarized
Bg 2.4
TEXT 4
arjuna uvaca
katham bhismam aham sankhye
dronam ca madhusudana
isubhih pratiyotsyami
pujarhav ari-sudana
SYNONYMS
arjunaù uväca—Arjuna said; katham—how; bhéñmam—unto Bhéñma; aham—I; saìkhye—in the fight; droëam—unto Droëa; ca—also, madhusüdana—O killer of Madhu; iñubhiù—with arrows; pratiyotsyämi—shall counterattack; püjä-arhau—those who are worshipable; arisüdana—O killer of the enemies.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O killer of Madhu [Kåñëa], how can I counterattack with arrows in battle men like Bhéñma and Droëa, who are worthy of my worship?
PURPORT
Respectable superiors like Bhéñma the grandfather and Droëäcärya the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal fight. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Would Kåñëa ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, Sändépani Muni? These were some of the arguments by Arjuna to Kåñëa.